AUDEMARS PIGUET PRESENTS THE ROYAL OAK EXTRA-THIN THE HOUR GLASS
In a limited edition of 50 pieces, the Royal Oak Extra-Thin in 18-carat yellow gold was created in dedication to Singapore retailer – The Hour Glass.
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Yellow gold makes a comeback. Dedicated to The Hour Glass, the Royal Oak Extra-Thin The Hour Glass features a full 18-carat yellow gold case and bracelet. With its signature ‚petite tapisserie‛ dial in an exquisite shade of green, the unique timepiece also features a personalized oscillating weight engraved with the inscription of ‚The Hour Glass‛ and ‚One of Fifty‛.
A pillar of value in all civilizations since the Paleolithic era, gold has been an emblem of wealth and power. All great civilizations share this value, including the ancient Egypt, the Celtic, and pre- columbian civilizations. Gold has always been yellow, symbolizing the color of the sun, representing brightness and light.
In 1972, Audemars Piguet broke all rules when the first luxury timepiece fully in stainless steel was created – the Royal Oak. This revolution opened up an important and creative chapter in the history of haute horlogerie, paving the way for the manufacture to explore new groundbreaking materials and alloys – carbon, rubber, titanium, tantalum, steel, stellite, aluminium, including various shades of gold.
Despite a plethora of successes in this aspect, gold has always been a dominant material used to externally express its inner beauties: most cases, indexes, numbers, hands, and oscillating weights were still in gold since the origins.
The Royal Oak Extra-Thin The Hour Glass is more than just a rebirth of yellow gold. This new take of the classic Royal Oak in full 18-carat yellow gold is a demonstration that, in parallel with the greatest creativity, gold stays untouchable.
Epitomizing the continuity and timelessness of more than 6,000 years of history, yellow gold remains the icon of beauty, power, and light. It marks a new milestone in Audemars Piguet’s rich history of continuous innovations and constant unveiling of inventive, masterful and unique timepieces to the world.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
FUNCTIONS Hours, minutes, date.
CASE 18-carat yellow gold case, glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback, special rotor engraved with ‚The Hour Glass‛ logo and the legend ‚One of Fifty‛. Water-resistant to 50m. Diameter of 39mm
DIAL Green dial with ‚Petite Tapisserie‛ pattern, yellow gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating
BRACELET 18-carat yellow gold bracelet with AP folding clasp
MANUFACTURE CALIBRE 2121 Total diameter : 28.40 mm (12 ½ lines) Total thickness : 3.05 mm Number of jewels : 36 Number of parts : 247 Power reserve : 40 h Frequency of balance wheel (Hz) : 2.75 (=19,800 vibrations/h)
REFERENCE NO. 15205BA.OO.1240BA.01
About Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet is the oldest fine watchmaking manufacturers still in the hands of its founding families (Audemars and Piguet). Since 1875, the company has written some of the finest chapters in the history of Haute Horlogerie, including a number of world firsts.
In the Vallée de Joux, at the heart of the Swiss Jura, numerous masterpieces are created in limited series embodying a remarkable degree of horological perfection, including daring sporty models, classic and traditional timepieces, splendid ladies’ jewellery-watches, as well as one-of-a-kind creations. www.audemarspiguet.com
About The Hour Glass
Established in 1979, The Hour Glass is one of Asia’s premier luxury retail groups with 41 boutiques in nine key cities throughout the Asia Pacific region. The Hour Glass prides itself as the world’s leading cultural retail enterprise; pioneering the promotion and appreciation of contemporary luxury and horological culture.
Having been recognised by international publications such as Monocle, Wallpaper and Vanity Fair as one of the most influential specialty retailers in the world, The Hour Glass has been accorded the ‘Best Watch Retail’ honours by Singapore Tatler in 2014.
The Hour Glass has achieved international acclaim in the industry for its approach towards redefining specialty watch retail which includes the creation of thematic salons and placing an emphasis on developing consumer oriented cultural engagement platforms to promote the values of authentic luxury.
L’Atelier, a boutique dedicated to expressing the patrimony of traditional watchmaking; and Malmaison, a first multi-category luxury emporium in its stable to retail the finest and carefully curated collections in horology, sartorial tailoring, fragrances and leather goods – were bestowed the ‘Best Retail Concept of the Year’ award by Singapore Retailers Association in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
Malmaison lauded for its unique and differentiated shopping experience, bagged the highly coveted ‘Best Shopping Experience’ award by Singapore Tourism Board in 2012. L’Atelier and Malmaison were also awarded ‘Most Innovative Retail Concept of the Year’ by the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retail Associations (FAPRA) in 2010 and 2013 respectively. www.thehourglass.com
History of Yellow Gold
1926. Golden Coin Watch Extra Thin watch concealed in a Golden 100 Francs Napoleon from 1857. Extra Thin movement made in 1908. Watch sold in 1926. Calibre 9/10SV#4 Audemars Piguet Heritage, Inv. 763
1981. 18-carat Yellow Gold Openworked Chronograph 18-carat yellow gold bracelet. Movement openworked and decorated by hand. Calibre 5030 Model 5556 Audemars Piguet Heritage, Inv. 743
©Audemars Piguet 2015
The Royal Oak Extra-Thin The Hour Glass is more than just a rebirth of yellow gold. This new take of the classic Royal Oak in full 18-carat yellow gold is a demonstration that, in parallel with the greatest creativity, gold stays untouchable.
Epitomizing the continuity and timelessness of more than 6,000 years of history, yellow gold remains the icon of beauty, power, and light. It marks a new milestone in Audemars Piguet’s rich history of continuous innovations and constant unveiling of inventive, masterful and unique timepieces to the world.
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